Material moving blade attachment



111 25, 1956 H. LOTZ 2,763,943

MATERIAL MOVING BLADE ATTACHMENT Filed Nov. 30, 1953 INVENTOR. Henry L073 2,763,943 MATERIAL MOVING BLADE ATTACHMENT Henry Lotz, Milton, Mass., assignor of one-half to Thomas H. OConnor, Milton, Mass.

Application November 30, 1953, Serial No. 395,030 3 Claims. (Cl. 37-443) This invention relates to attachments for material moving blades such as employed in earth and snow moving plows and the like.

In the use of material moving blades, the end spill is frequently undesirable and creates a problem. For instance, in the use of conventional snow plows, the end spill at cross walks, driveways and the like create a problem in that the resultant snow bank blocks such walks and driveways and must be subsequently removed. While attempts have been made to provide plows which will avoid the problem, no simple and commercially acceptable means have been provided heretofore for dealing With the problem so far as conventional or existing plows are concerned.

It is one object of this invention to provide a simple and substantially self-contained attachment for conventional material moving blades which made be employed to prevent end spill during any desired portion of travel of the blade whereby no bank of material created by the blade occurs at such portions of travel.

Another object is to provide such an attachment which may be readily mounted on existing blades with substantially little effort and expense.

The invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawing, in which Figure 1 is a rear elevation of a material moving blade with the attachment of the present invention mounted thereon.

Figure 2 is an end elevation of the blade and attachment,

Figure 3 is a sectional of the attachment, and

Figure 4 is a partial plan view of a modified form of attachment.

In the drawing, 1 is a material moving blade of conventional form.

The attachment of the present invention is generally indicated at 2 and comprises a frame 3 having a length approximately that of the width of blade 1 and being complementarily curved for engagement with an end edge of the blades as shown. The frame 3 is adapted to be fixed to the end edge of the blade 1 by any convenient means. As shown, this means may comprise a pair of slotted angle plates 4 attached as by screws 5 to threaded base plates 6 fixed as by welding to the blade 1.

The frame 3 has a slot 7 therein extending transversely of the frame from a point adjacent the top thereof to a point adjacent the bottom thereof. The frame 3 may comprise a one part member or, as shown, it may conveniently comprise an inner member 8 and an outer member 9, the slot 7 being formed by a recess in the inner member 8. Preferably, the inner member 8 is of somewhat greater thickness than that of the outer member which constitutes the outer wall of slot 7. Member 8 bears against the end of blade 1 and requires greater strength than member 9.

Mounted for swinging movement through the slot 7 is a block blade 10. The block blade 10 is carried adplan view of a mounting detail 2,763,943 Patented Sept. 1955 2 jacent its upper end bya shaft brackets 12. The brackets of roller bearings to permit ease of rotation therein of the shaft 11. The brackets 12 are mounted on the rear face of the main blade 1 and for this purpose reinforc- 11 mounted in bearing 12 may include usual type ing base plates 13 may be fixed as by welding to therear face of blade 1. Means for yieldingly holding the blade 10 in a position rearwardly of the forward face of main blade 1 comprises a spring 14 sleeved on shaft 11, one end of the spring being fixed to a bracket 12 and the other end being fixed to a set bushing 15 mounted on the shaft for rotation therewith. A closing control lever 16 is fixed to shaft 11 and, as shown, such lever engages the rear face of blade 1 to limit the rear- Ward swinging movement of the blade 10. It will be observed that in the rearward position of the blade 10, its forward edge extends into slot 7 but does not extend beyond the forward face of blade 1.

The lever 16 also constitutes means for imparting forward swinging movement to blade 10 to a position shown in dotted lines in Figure 2. The lever 16 may be actuated by any suitable linkage, cable or the like (not shown), from the cab of the operating vehicle.

Preferably, the outer face of the lower end of frame 3 is provided with a rounded boss 17 which operates as a guard to permit undamaging sliding movement of the plow or blade against a curb or like surface should the plow or blade come in contact therewith.

It will be apparent that, in the operation of a plow or blade embodying the present invention, the operator may actuate blade 10 to provide a material retaining member at the end of blade 1 whenever it is desired to prevent end spill of the material.

Additional flexibility in the operation of blade 10 may be provided by incorporating a universal joint 18 in shaft 11. The shaft 11 may be square in cross-section, as indicated at 12a, in the area of the mounting of blade 10 thereon, to provide a convenient means of fixing the blade 10 thereto.

If desired, the angular relation of block blade 10 with respect to main blade 1 may be varied so that blade 10 will operate in a more advantageous position to accomplish the desired end result. This may be efifected by the insertion of suitable wedges between frame 3 and the end of blade 1. As shown in Figure 4-, inner member 8 is replaced by a wedge-shaped member 19 to effect the desired result, universal joint 18 permitting actuation of the block blade 10 in the manner described.

It will be apparent that the attachment is capable of convenient mounting on existing material moving blades with a minimum of elfort and expense.

I claim:

1. In combination with a material moving blade having forward and rearward faces, a separable attachment therefor comprising: a frame removably secured to an end edge of said blade and extending laterally therefrom from approximately the top edge to the bottom edge thereof, said frame having a slot therein extending from a point adjacent said top edge to a point adjacent said bottom edge, a shaft rotatably mounted on the rearward face of said blade adjacent the top edge thereof, a material retaining blade fixed to the shaft and arranged to swing through said slot on rotation of said shaft, yieldable means normally holding said retaining blade rearwardly of the forward face of said material moving blade, and a lever connected to said shaft for rotating the latter to swing said retaining blade forwardly of said forward face of the material moving blade.

2. An attachment for material moving blades as defined in claim 1, said shaft having a universal joint therein adjacent said retaining blade to permit flexing movement of the shaft adjacent said retaining blade.

r 3. An attachment for material moving blades as defined in claim 1, said frame having a plane surface in engag'ement with said end edge of the material moving blade, said slot and material retaining blade being disposed at an oblique angle to said plane surface, said shaft having a universal joint therein adjacent said retainingblade to permit flexing movement of the shaft adjacent said retaining blade.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 

